Who else has been tuning into Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix? It’s a great show highlighting how to de-clutter and simplify, and it’s making people everywhere clean out their closets and get rid of things — myself included!

As parents, what easier way to simplify than going through your kids things and getting rid of the items that no longer ‘spark joy’? Better yet, how about earning money for those items?!

Once Upon A Child recently opened a store in Brighton, Michigan, and WOW. This is a game-changer for my friends that avoid thrift stores because of the visual assault and sensory overload it causes them!

This is by far the most organized store I’ve been to when looking for kids’ items. The shop stocks everything from books {seriously…a treasure trove!} to clothing, items like cribs and bouncy seats, footwear and toys. Pretty much anything you may need for a child can be found here. They even have an amazing selection of brand new Melissa & Doug items, hair accessories, bow ties, suspenders and more.

Owner Shirley loves the thrill of a bargain but was tired of driving to other cities to get her Once Upon A Child fix, so she decided to open one near downtown Brighton {across from Meijer}. She made the right decision because the store speaks for itself: It’s spacious, clean, and any mom’s dream. Her thoughts behind it are simple — she wants to be the store that makes it easy to run in for one thing versus needing hours to shuffle through consigned items.

Clothing is organized by style — shirts, pants, outfits, dressy items — and size, which are easily identified in the aisles. They even made the effort to pull out certain ‘theme’ items, which I LOVED. While I shopped, I spotted racks just for Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, U of M, MSU, Tigers, Lions and athletic wear. These racks had all sizes, which makes it fun for sibling matching!

I was able to score some great items for my soon-to-be-born nephew, a Nike sweatshirt, a U of M jersey {for $2.50!}, dresses for an upcoming daddy-daughter dance and more.

There are so many items to find here, but these are my top five suggestions on where to begin when thrifting:

Top 5 Items To Find Second Hand

Dressy items. Let’s be honest: Those cute dresses that are purchased for Christmas have a slim chance of ever being worn again. Wearing thrifted item is just the practical way to go!

Costumes. What child doesn’t love dressing up? These can cost a pretty penny brand new, so it’s much better to find them used.

Snow gear. Many children benefit from having an extra set of snow pants — for a school locker or in case they get wet while playing outside.

Theme shirts. I love dressing my kiddos up for holidays, but paying full price for a St. Patrick’s Day shirt is just plain silly if you ask me 😉

Subsequent baby clothing. Friends and family tend to cover clothing for the first child, but after that, it’s usually on you to get a new wardrobe for the opposite gender. But, if you *do* have the same gender, this is a fun way to change it up without spending a ton!

But what if you are looking to RID your house of these items? Once Upon A Child will take your items, and in return them in exchange for CASH or store credit.

Love the selection of dance wear items, including ballet and tap shoes!

It’s no secret: I LOVE thrifting. I get the biggest rush from finding cool things at cheap prices. Of all the places I have lived across metro Detroit, The Salvation Army takes the cake as my favorite place to thrift. I’ve found everything from Stella McCartney handbags for $6 to Ann Taylor and Calvin Klein jeans for a couple of dollars — and still with tags on them.

Every time I post about my finds, people ask how and where I found the items, and often times I hear “I never have good luck thrifting!” Well, friends — I have some secrets to share with you. I’ve partnered up with Salvation Army Thrift Stores in Southeast Michigan to share the best days to shop to score fabulous deals.

First, it’s important to know the days of the week to shop for the best pricing. How about a little graphic for you visual learners?

Monday – New 50 percent off “color” tag {ask what the color of the day is when you stop in} and Men’s Night 5 p.m. until close

Tuesday – Teacher/Student & Kids Day

Wednesday – Senior Day {ages 55+}

Thursday – Military Day andLadies Night 5 p.m. until close

Friday – 5 for $5 on Color Tag of the Week

Saturday – 5 for $5 Color Tag of the Week

Personally, my favorite days to shop are the 50 percent off clothing sales. I always shoot to get there at the opening time for the best stuff. Often times the stores will also have a section of overflow items from local stores, too. It’s in this spot I can often get name brand diapers for around 75% off. I’ve also scored toilet paper, paper towels, plastic bags and more. {The items are brand new, but a lot of times the boxes are damaged.} I’ve even scored craft kits and toys for my girls that are brand new.

Mark your calendar for these sales:

New Year’s Day Sale {always Jan. 1}

March Mayhem {date changes every year – call your local store}

Memorial Day Sale {last Monday of May}

Fourth of July Sale {always July 4}

Labor Day Sale {first Monday of September}

Fall Savings Sale {November, but date changes – it’s usually right after Halloween}

Some examples of the awesome things I have found shopping at Salvation Army

Additionally, several of the stores offer special savings and merchandise events throughout the year. These can be worth traveling to if you are seeking a specific item. Here are examples of the special sales that happen during the year:

Ann Arbor – Music Extravaganza {April}

Rochester – Antique Auction {April/May}

Canton – Jewelry Sale {June}

Utica – Home Furnishing Sale {April}

Royal Oak – Vintage Day {August}

Brighton – Kidtastic Sale {November}

GET SOCIAL AND SAVE!

Make sure to follow @SEMIARC on Twitter and salarmythrift.com on Facebook and get access to even more sales and savings. I have them on my favorites list so I never miss out 😉 You can just show the cashier the tweet or Facebook post on your phone to get the deal.

The ARC draws its entire operating budget from the revenue of the 34 metro Detroit thrift stores and relies on the support of the community to not only shop its stores, but also to donate gently-used clothing, housewares, furniture and more. Thanks to this generosity, the ARC was able to treat more than 2,500 adults at its 300-bed men’s facility in Detroit and 85-bed facility for women in Romulus in 2014.